The NCAD Gallery is delighted to present a short run exhibition of artist Nikolas Ryan programmed on the occasion of the BETA Festival of Art and Tech.

Artists In Conversation Talk: Elaine Hoey and Nikolas Ryan, Tuesday 14th November 2023, 1:15PM. No booking required.
Exhibition: NCAD Gallery

This is a ticketed exhibition event – tickets here.

Friday 3rd November, 11AM — 6PM
Thursday 9th & Friday 10th November, 11AM — 6PM

Transition To Transcendence is an interactive, immersive installation which includes a VR element. It takes root in a profound exploration of my experience with Evangelical Queer Conversion Therapy, guided by Foucault’s insights on Biopolitics. Over a decade later, I was still experiencing the psychological trauma linked to this, trying to live while being constrained by beliefs I never truly embraced. I noticed that conditioned beliefs often perpetuate systemic oppression. To break free from this panoptical cycle of consciousness is to liberate ourselves from perpetual psychological suffering. Embracing the wisdom of Jungian Psychology, I embarked on a transformative process of Individuation which Jung describes as something “only experienced by those who have gone through the wearisome but indispensable business of coming to terms with the unconscious components of the personality.” It unveiled the illusion crafted by my critical filter, revealing that I had lived confined by beliefs I never truly embraced. Projecting my repressed ego, I perpetually concealed my authentic self behind masks and personas. This is echoed in the installation which represents my conscious mind and how I believe I am perceived by the others. Drawing inspiration from Ericksonian Hypnosis, I harness the power of Virtual Reality to immerse viewers in a meditative journey through my unconscious mind where they can transcend their perceptions and surpass the boundaries of belief. The viewer becomes the link between the installation (conscious mind) and the VR (unconscious mind).

Transition To Transcendence (2023) is presented at the NCAD Gallery on the occasion of and in partnership with the inaugural Beta Festival of Art and Technology, co-founded by The Digital Hub and Aisling Murray and funded by The Digital Hub and Science Foundation Ireland. Transition To Transcendence is programmed and curated by Anne Kelly, NCAD Gallery Curator.

Nikolas Ryan ia a Trans POC (person of colour) contemporary artist. His journey takes root in a profound exploration of his experience with Evangelical Queer conversion therapy, guided by Michel Foucault’s insights on biopolitics. In his work, Ryan reflects on his awearness of conditioned beliefs that often perpetuate systemic oppression – to break free from this panoptic cycle of consciousness is to liberate ourselves from perpetual psychological suffering. Embracing the wisdom of Jungian psychology, Ryan embarked on a transformative process of individuation. Unveiling the illusion crafted by conditioned beliefs, revealing that he had lived confined by beliefs he never truly embraced. Projecting his repressed ego, Ryan perpetually concealed his authentic self with masks and personas. Drawing inspiration from Ericksonian hypnosis, Ryan harnesses the power of virtual reality to immerse viewers in a journey through his subconscious mind where they can transcend their perceptions and go beyond the boundaries of belief..

Beta Festival is a creative cartography of Ireland’s art and technology landscape November 2nd – 19th 2023 Exhibition FREE ENTRY

Beta Festival will feature a unique exhibition of Irish-based and international artists spanning the material and digital, the real and the virtual, the local and the global through creative and critical practice. Beta Festival provides a platform for Irish-based artists and researchers to bring their work to new audiences so that collectively we can seek out original ways to navigate through our contemporary networked world. See the Beta website for a full programme of events.